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Topic: freelancer insurance
| Author | Message |
| younged12 | Posted – 8/1/2007 10:23:05 AM | show profile | email poster hi...i'm thinking of going freelance and i was wondering how one goes about getting insurance. i don't have a lot of money a month to spend on it, but if someone could point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. thanks! |
| Astera | Posted – 8/1/2007 11:31:15 AM | show profile It all depends on where you live. In California, where I am, it's not too difficult to get an individual health insurance account. I have Kaiser and I pay $235 a month, $25 for appointments, and $10 for generic prescriptions. I have a $200 brand-name drug deductible that I have to meet before my insurance starts offering me the $35 co-pay on brand names, but other than that, there's no deductible. Tonik also offers some bare-bones health care, but only in a few states. I think Blue Cross also has an individual plan. If you are in New York, I think it's harder and more expensive to get individual coverage. I remember other people saying that maybe you can get health insurance through the National Writer's Union, and I think if you are an AvantGuild member, you may also be able to get insurance through MediaBistro. And check with your college alumni group, or any other group or professional organization you belong to. Those groups sometimes have health plans that members can join. Whatever you do, don't go without health insurance entirely. I'm fairly young and I know several people my age who thought they were "healthy enough" to go without insurance. One was hit by a car and wound up with a fractured skull, and the other had an asthma attack while mountain biking and had to be airlifted off the mountain. Both will be paying off thousands in debt for years and years to come. I was just lucky that I had my individual plan in place before I was diagnosed with cancer, or otherwise I'd be in the same boat. ------ www.adventuresofastera.blogspot.com |
| younged12 | Posted – 8/1/2007 11:53:36 AM | show profile | email poster thanks. that helps a lot! |
| kpolitzer | Posted – 8/3/2007 2:48:57 PM | show profile | email poster I just got NY state health insurance through Mediabistro. The broker is Myhealthplans.com. Oxford, a reputable provider, is now on board as well as HIP. |
| copyeditrix | Posted – 8/10/2007 4:03:03 PM | show profile | email poster You can get health insurance ... ... much cheaper through freelancersunion.org in New York. My husband has it and we've had no problems with it. |
| candylilacs | Posted – 8/10/2007 9:08:27 PM | show profile I got blue cross California, it was about $145/month PPO and dental, but I couldn't get pregnant (no maternity) which was fine by me. If you want maternity, it's like $225 I think. You can go through their web site. |
| foodlit | Posted – 8/11/2007 10:19:49 AM | show profile Where do you live? If you are in MA, you can get it through the new mandatory health program, and what you pay is based on what you make. Excellent providers too, like Blue Cross. If you incorporate yourself, you can qualify for group rates directly through BCBS, which is what I do. I have a great plan, and pay about 370 a month. www.mahealthconnector.org |
